He was victim of the Maidanist massacre against the Odessa union building on May 2, 2014, when Nazis killed more than 150 democratic activists with support of the new authorities. He survived wounded and could flee to Lugansk as a political refugee of the civil war. We asked him about his opinion on a ceasefire:   Yes, a ceasefire is a variant of finishing the conflict is possible. I mean to just stop fighting along the frontline. But you should know that nobody will agree with the political status-quo which constitute the roots of the civil war and the military escalation. Because if the Nazi state will survive, it will get new weapons from NATO, new trained fighters, and they will attack us again. So, that means that new war will start but we will be in more difficult … [read more]

The events in Karabakh as well as the anti-Armenian pogroms in the Azery city of Sungait and others -- it was one of the first National conflicts, that broke out yet in the years of Gorbachev's perestroika. The very Karabakh is a territory, that for centuries was populated by both Armenians and Azery people. In the Soviet years it had the status of an autonomous district in the territory of Azerbaijan. This conflict, as well as many others, was based on the objective growth of national self-awareness, mostly that of those nations, that had acquired their literacy, national art, literature and started to comprehend their national role in the Soviet history. As the proletarian internationalism in the CPSU policy got weaker in the last decades of the Soviet period, this National … [read more]

What do you think of the current street movement in Belarus trying to bring down Lukashenko? The current street movement is the largest we have ever seen in recent history of Belarus. Most of the people involved have no clear understanding of what they really want to achieve, and what is the future they are fighting for. Basically, it all boils down to some vague hope that it is enough to bring down Lukashenko – and everything will be all right. Of course, the people most likely to come to power if the movement wins have a very clear understanding of this future. It is clearly a neo-liberal vision with massive privatization of state property, deindustrialization, “optimization” of the healthcare system etc. It goes without saying that, as leftists, we can’t support these aims. … [read more]

[Русский ниже]   You have been elected head of the Union of Left Forces in Ukraine. Can you explain the characteristics of this political entity and its main objectives?   The Union of Left Forces is a full-fledged party with units in almost all regions of Ukraine, comprised of ordinary, interested, active, intelligent people. Of course, the work of recruiting passionate people, active and young, will be enhanced as much as possible, and we see in this development a drive for the revival of leftist ideas in Ukraine. Today, the Union of Left Forces is, in fact, the only active left-wing party in Ukraine; all others either dissolved themselves, were destroyed by the Poroshenko regime, or banned as communist. The party is 11 years old, its goal is very simple -- … [read more]

Even in just a few days, any visitor will realise that obvious facts on the ground in the so-called separatist areas blatantly contradict several basic assumptions: At least in the capital cities of Donets and Lugansk, normal everyday life prevails, there is no war or emergency situation evident. You have to look closely and ask locals to find signs of a war. At the moment, Paris is definitely more militarised. On the other hand the economic difficulties, the social consequences of the uncertain situation and the lack of investment are quite obvious. Concerning politics and culture, there is a kind of re-sovietisation, even though the social foundations and causes are completely different from the Soviet past. Two elements seem to be central for the identity in the People’s … [read more]

*** Text on a street poster in Odessa: A seperatist is desacrating national symbols waiting for the arrival of “Russian peace” If you hear or see something – call us Hotline of the Ukrainian Intelligence *** This is the tug of war over implementation of the Minsk-2 agreements. Yesterday the leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) demanded that their representatives finally be included in the discussion of constitutional reform. “All matters relating to elections and constitutional reform, according to the terms of the agreement, should be agreed with us. As prescribed by the terms of the agreement, representatives of the DPR and LPR will necessarily participate in the decision-making in the tripartite contact group," DRP envoy Dennis Pushilin told … [read more]

Western politicians know perfectly well that there is no Russian invasion, and this, precisely, is the main international problem for them. To admit as much means admitting that the government in Kiev has gone to war on its own people. To speak of the Donetsk Peoples Republic as an independent political phenomenon is impossible, since this would require posing the question of the reasons for the popular protest, and listing its demands. The talk of Kremlin agents and of the ubiquitous Russian troops—who are impossible to discover, but who have occupied close to half of Ukraine without firing a shot or even showing themselves on Ukrainian territory—is playing the same propaganda role against the Donetsk republic as was played in the anti-Bolshevik propaganda of 1917 by stories of … [read more]

A Call for Solidarity May 8 is celebrated all over the world as a day of victory over Nazism that caused millions of losses and much suffering to many people of the world. However, now we see that neo-Nazism raises its head again. Far-right groups and parties are striving to power in many countries. Their members unleash real terror against the dissenters, migrants, the ‘others’, leftwing and anti-fascist activists. We have to stop the rise fascism again – that’s our duty to stop it till it is not too late. On May 2, 2014 in Ukrainian city Odessa neo-Nazis and far-right groups unleashed a real massacre. Far-right paramilitaries burned alive and beaten to death 46 local residents in the ‘House of Trade-Unions’. They brutally finished off the wounded, shouting ‘Glory … [read more]

1. Starting point The abandonment of the association treaty with the EU last autumn sparked the street protests. This alone bears witness of the social illusions into the EU and western capitalism in general on one hand and the political power of anti-Russian sentiments on the other hand. Both from an economic as well as from a political point of view, the treaty, which implied severing the close relations to Russia, would not have served the interests of the popular masses. In return the EU only has to offer austerity along the lines of the IMF adjustment programmes in southern Europe, further pushing Ukraine into poverty and periphery. The intensity of the protests can, however, only be explained by taking into consideration the social aspects. The pro-Russian elites commanded a … [read more]

Is Georgia the «Beacon of Democracy» or an oasis of neoliberal dictatorship? The USA poses Georgia as a successful American experiment, an example for imitation, having proclaimed it the "Beacon of Democracy." So-called “neoliberal reforms” that were carried out in an uncompromising and a specially aggressive way in Georgia, came to their logical end. Privatization of all spheres of economy and social infrastructure is complete. All plants and factories, which functioned at the very least, have found themselves in private hands. All power supply systems, the hydroelectric power stations, almost all city services including systems of electricity transmissions, natural gas and water supply, are privatized. Natural resources, the woods, seaports are privatized. The process of … [read more]